Fire Fighters Call on Government to Recognize M-388

Ralph Goodale motion addresses fire fighter, public safety issues

OTTAWA, Nov. 23, 2012 /CNW/ - The International Association of Fire
Fighters (IAFF) is calling on the Canadian Government to act on three
important fire fighter and public safety issues after a majority of MPs
expressed support for them Wednesday in the House of Commons.

MPs adopted private member's motion M-388 in the House of Commons Nov.
21 by a vote of 150 to 134. The motion, introduced by Liberal MP Ralph
Goodale (Wascana, Sask.), calls on the federal government to establish
a national Public Safety Officer Compensation (PSOC) benefit, to
protect the public by giving fire fighters priority access to vaccines
during an influenza pandemic and to amend the National Building Code of
Canada to address fire fighter safety.

While private member's motions are non-binding, the fact that a majority
of MPs representing a majority of Canadians voted in favour of M-388
sends the federal government the clear message that it should act on
the IAFF's Canadian legislative issues, says Scott Marks, the IAFF's
Assistant to the General President for Canadian Operations. The IAFF
represents 22,000 professional fire fighters across Canada.

"We ask the Government of Canada to recognize the adoption of M-388 and
the important fire fighter and public safety issues it addresses,"
Marks said, adding the IAFF is grateful to Goodale for acting
decisively to advance fire fighter and public safety issues. "We would
welcome the opportunity to work with the government to see the will of
parliament recognized and these important issues advanced."

The IAFF's call for a national PSOC benefit is in response to the fact
that that there is currently no minimum level of compensation for the
family of fire fighters who are killed or permanently disabled in the
line of duty. While some fire fighters have been able to negotiate a
benefit at the local level, it typically does not adequately address
the longer-term financial security of the surviving family. The IAFF
recommends a PSOC benefit of $300,000 that would apply to all fire
fighters across Canada.

The pandemic issue is in response to the fact that fire fighters are in
fact emergency medical responders who come in direct contact with the
public during an influenza pandemic, and the fact that if too many fire
fighters are absent from duty during a moderate or severe pandemic,
there may not be enough personnel available to properly protect the
public.

The IAFF also asserts that the National Building Code of Canada should
be amended to make fire fighter safety an objective. Because it is not
currently an objective, fire fighter safety cannot be used as the basis
of a building code change request. The code currently views fire
fighters the same as other building occupants, despite the fact that
the public expects fire fighters to enter a burning structure long
after others may have exited in order to conduct interior search and
rescue and to aggressively save the home and its contents.

Goodale noted the cross-party support M-388 received. "It's good to see
a little genuine democracy on the floor of the House - for such a
worthy cause," Goodale said. "I'm grateful to all my colleagues in all
Parties who joined together to endorse these important measures in
support of the courageous people who put their lives on the line daily
to keep Canadians safe."

The IAFF is also grateful to Conservative MP Patrick Brown (Barrie, ON),
who worked exceptionally hard on behalf of fire fighters to help secure
enough votes to see M-388 adopted, and to NDP MP Peter Julian
(Burnaby-New Westminster, BC), who also brought important attention to
the motion.

Text of M-388:

M-388 — June 4, 2012 — Mr. Goodale (Wascana) — That the House hereby affirm its support for the following measures to
support Canada's firefighters which, in the opinion of the House, the
government should act upon promptly: (a) the creation of a national
Public Safety Officer Compensation Benefit in the amount of $300,000,
indexed annually, to help address the financial security of the
families of firefighters and other public safety officers who are
killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty; (b) the recognition
of firefighters, in their vital role as "first responders", as an
integral part of Canada's "critical infrastructure", and as "health
care workers" under the Canada Influenza Pandemic Plan, entitled to
priority access to vaccines and other drugs in cases of pandemics and
other public health emergencies; (c) the specification of firefighter
safety as an objective of the National Building Code of Canada; (d) a
review of the National Building Code of Canada, in conjunction with the
International Association of Firefighters, to identify the most urgent
safety issues impacting firefighters and the best means to address
them.